1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with an improved synthetic resin fluorescent tube support of the type used in the packaging and shipping of an elongated fluorescent tubes in order to prevent breakage thereof. More particularly, it is concerned with such a fluorescent tube support which is improved by provision of specific structural features permitting the supports to be stacked without complete nesting thereof, so as to facilitate machine dispensing of the dunnage elements during the packaging process. At the same time, the dunnage elements hereof give excellent protection against breakage of the tubes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,705,170 and 4,792,045 describe synthetic resin tube dunnage supports formed of integral, synthetic resin sheet material and which are designed to supplant traditional supports manufactured from pulp or the like. A prime advantage of the supports described in the aforementioned patents stems from the fact that they are machined dispensable i.e., they overcome the problems heretofore associated with the attempts at machine dispensing fluorescent tubes supports, and thereby lower manufacturing and packaging costs.
Certain prior dunnage supports have made use of a rather complicated system of lugs formed in the bodies of the supports so as to facilitate stacking of the supports without complete nesting. Such lug systems generally require that the molds made for respective supports be different so as to minimize the possibility of stacking together of the identically configured supports. The need to provide unique molds can increase manufacturing costs, and generally complicates the fabrication and stacking process.
It would therefore be desirable to provide synthetic resin dunnage elements with appropriate structural features assuring that the supports may be stacked without nesting or interfitting thereof to a degree which would cause hang-up or other problems during machine dispensing, while at the same time avoiding the necessity for a series of unique molds.